Monday, November 26, 2012

Summary - Episode Four: Return to Restport

Season One, Episode 4: Return to Restport

Wherein our heroes researched, debauched, ambushed, investigated and gossiped before fleeing Restport abruptly with a new 'package' to smuggle...After arriving in Restport, Corrie and Hardwick slunk away on their own as the rest of the company disembarked to the warehouse/office/headquarters of the East Bay Company. Hinrik took his young charge, Carson, out to find some less conspicuous clothes for her to wear, while Norah began to organize and research the chests of documents they recovered from Snakefang Strait. Sorina, ever a dutiful captain, went about the port re-stocking her ship, Mica Niva, and Mercutio and Trent went out onto the streets in search of liquor and company. After their shopping expeditions, Hinrik returned to the East Bay Company warehouse to join Norah in researching, while Sorina found Mercutio and Trent at the seedy drinking establishment they had chosen, The Mermaid. Sorina and Mercutio watched as Trent quickly put away a prodigious amount of ale, becoming more and more erratic, before disappearing with a fellow Ashen Kingdom countrywoman into the night. Meanwhile, Norah discovered disturbing new facts about the Frumentarii's mole in the Everburning Cinder; information that led her to believe she might know the mole. Hinrik, doing his own investigation with an eye towards information that could be used for extortion, discovered that Simon Neville was selling information to the Ashen Kingdom in exchange for money and the guarantee that Restport be given to the Nevilles should the Ashen Kingdom conquer the Free Valleys.Sorina and Mercutio encountered a group of roughs in Locklight livery, and using Sorina's loyal monkey companion, Maimu, sent word to Hinrik and Norah to arrange an ambush. The Locklight lackeys were duly ambushed and two were captured and brought back to the East Bay Company for questioning. As dawn broke and the company prepared to interrogate the Locklight goons, an insistent knocking broke the quiet. The company discovered Alexandru Geni, with a letter from Jerrod, their contact in the Everburning Cinder, instructing them to take him with all due haste to Tribute. Also on the doorstep, a no longer inebriated Trent, with one sleeve missing and his left armed covered in strange bestial scratches. As Axelandru raved about Locklights chasing him, the company interrogated their two prisoners, discovering that the Locklights had come to Restport in force to search for Carson and Alexandru. Before they could discuss their findings, though, a Locklight search party knocked on the door, demanding to search the premises armed with a writ from the Bosworth rulers of Restport. As the East Bay Company frantically packed, hiding their two fugitives and the two corpses of the Locklight prisoners they had taken. Fortunately the Locklight search was perfunctory and the company was able to flee Restport with their illicit cargo, having decided that they were headed to the Ogrefist Mountains to see Jarl Tryggvi Stangbern to see if he would take in Carson and help them sneak through the mountain passes into the Ashen Kingdom away from the Unbroken Border and checkpoints.